Social Security Disability Cases North Carolina - Denied claims

Twenty-seven thousand cases are backlogged in North Carolina and two thirds of all disability claims that are denied in North Carolina are denied on the basis of the claimant being able to perform other work.

Quite frankly, I'm not sure how to read these statistics. Typically, the backlog chatter over the last few months has referred to cases stuck and pending at the social security disability and SSI hearing level. However, these cases have not even been heard yet, while the article refers to the backlog as being cases for which decisions have not been made. So...I have no clue what they're really referring to.

Regarding the second item, that a majority of denied disability claims are denied after the decision has been made that a claimant can peform work...this seems to make little sense.

All denials, aside from technical denials (which are denials for other-than-medical-vocational issues) are made following the determination that a claimant can still work. That's how the system operates. A claimant is either found to have met the definition of disability used by the social security administration OR the claimant is considered to either A. have the ability to return to past work or B. have the ability to perform other work.